After months of preparation, IHS Film Club’s first short film, “Lapse” premiered on YouTube early last month. The film follows a young girl who “wakes up” trapped in an empty classroom, unable to get out—attempt after attempt to leave causes her to wake up and relive the same perpetual loop. But when the classroom door finally opens, she successfully escapes and finds herself in an even more perplexing predicament.
Film Club members expressed that the making of the film was an exciting experience. However, the process wasn’t linear: “The movie definitely grew when it came to the artistic and technical decisions as it progressed from its original idea,” said Ben Mellon ’28, the club’s new president. Early concepts of the storyline imagined a silent or black-in-white film; the final product evolved to feature minimal dialogue and dark color grading.
The film stars Fiona Batten ’28 and Luciana Parr ’25; was written, directed, and edited by Adelaide Riedl ’25;, and produced by Ms. Cacioppo. Annika Rassnick ’25 served as the Script Supervisor; continuity was done by Luciana Parr and Amélie Riedl ’28;, and the clapper was handled by Marley McCown ’28, Ben Mellon, and Amélie Riedl.
As of late September, Film Club is concept-building for a second short film. If you’re interested in participating in Film Club’s next project, join the club every Thursday during UL in room D7. Be sure to follow Film Club’s adventures via their Instagram (@ihsfilmclub24) or their YouTube Channel (@ithacafilmclub).